Spill closes ship channel indefinitely

Stacey Glaesmann

Published 8:38 am, Tuesday, March 10, 2015

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The chemical tanker Carla Maersk sits at anchor off Morgans Point, Texas, after being involved in a collision with the bulk carrier Conti Peridot March 9, 2015. The Maersk was carrying about 216,000 barrels of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether and an unknown quantity of the product was spilled. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Dustin R. Williams) less

The chemical tanker Carla Maersk sits at anchor off Morgans Point, Texas, after being involved in a collision with the bulk carrier Conti Peridot March 9, 2015. The Maersk was carrying about 216,000 barrels of ... more

Coast Guard officials said Tuesday the Houston Ship Channel is expected to remain closed in the foreseeable future from Light 86 to the Fred Hartman Bridge after a chemical tanker and a bulk carrier collided Monday.

Captain Brian Penoyer with the U.S. Coast Guard could not provide a timeline for cleanup and the re-opening of the ship channel because the chemical tanker, a Danish flagged Carla Maersk, had leaked some of its cargo, Methyl tert-butyl ether (MBTE), and human health protection is the priority.

MBTE is a flammable, colorless liquid used as an additive to gasoline that tends to float in water and has a low toxicity level. Its smell, however, is quite strong, and long-term inhalation exposure to MBTE may cause health problems or even death.

“Our focus is to protect the public and right now we are looking at blanketing the MBTE so that it no longer can vaporize into the air. Once that objective is accomplished, we will press on to other objectives,” Penoyer said. “We know that the people who live and work need to get back to business, and that is a high priority for all of us and we’ll address that once the safety concern has been resolved.”

Penoyer also stated that the cleanup would not be quick.

“It is important for everyone to remember that because of the volatility of this cargo, resolving those concerns safely for our responders and for the public may require a significant initial amount of time. People should not expect that we will be able to execute this salvage operation in minutes or hours,” he said.

Penoyer praised the first response team for preventing the majority of the MBTE from being discharged.

“As a responder, what I need to know is where the MBTE is vaporizing in the air and where it is on the water. Our air reconnaissance tells us that,” he said.

“Based on detailed salvage assessment of the vessel overnight, I’m now convinced that we’ve accounted for the vast majority of the cargo, even in the tanks which were impacted. However, because the cargo tank and wing tanks were damaged out at sea, that cargo was mixed with seawater. This cargo dissolves in water.

“Accordingly, this mix of MTBE and salt water is in the ballast tanks of this ship and it is likely that we will never be able to tell you precisely how much went into this salt water mix and how much was released into the environment in total.

“We have found, with the exception of a trace sheen coming from the damaged area, no MTBE on the surface of the water and no detectable concentrations of MTBE in the air around the shoreline communities since about midnight last night,” Penoyer said.

The cause of the collision is under investigation.

“Certainly the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay are among the busiest ports in the world,” said Penoyer.

“This collision occurred while the ships were meeting, one inbound and one outbound. The pilots involved in piloting these vessels are master craftsmen at maneuvering these vessels. These are very large ships operating within a 530-foot wide ship channel.”

A shelter-in-place that had been in effect for residents in Morgan's Point was lifted overnight, but the Coast Guard urged area residents to stay tuned to local television and radio stations in case of a change in the situation.

This was the second ship collision in the channel in less than a week. On Thursday (Mar. 5), a 445-foot tanker and 892-foot container ship collided approximately 15 miles north of Galveston. No injuries or damage were reported.

Federal, state and local agencies and responders continue to work to ensure public safety as they respond to the spill, which happened at Morgan's Point.

The Barbours Cut Terminal did not open as normally scheduled at Tuesday as a precautionary measure. Air quality monitoring has determined that fumes are present, but they are below toxic levels. Air monitoring is currently taking place throughout the area and is being facilitated by local jurisdictions.

There are 26 ships waiting to come inbound to Houston and 14 waiting to leave. The Coast Guard is working to help ensure that the remaining product in the ship is safely secured in order to begin reopening the ship channel.

A safety zone has been established from the Fred Hartman Bridge to light 86 on the Houston Ship Channel and includes Goose Creek, Tabbs Bay, Cedar Bayou Channel and Barbours Cut.

At 12:41 p.m. Monday watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Houston-Galveston received a report of the collision between the Carla Maersk, a 600-foot chemical tanker, and the Conti Peridot, a 623-foot bulk carrier, which resulted in a puncture to three of the Carla Maersk’s port tanks. The chemical tanker was carrying approximately 216,000 barrels of Methyl Tertiary Butyl Ether prior to the collision.

An incident command post has been established at the City of La Porte Emergency Operations Center to further response efforts. Additional information will be released as it becomes available.